Page 85 of Chasing Stripes

“We’ll free those captives,” she stated firmly, “and you’ll answer for what you’ve done.”

Elias smiled, appearing genuinely amused. “Such confidence. Such naive heroism.” He snapped his fingers, activating something hidden within the ritual circle.

Instantly, magical barriers sprang up from the floor, separating Artemis and Bartek from the rest of their friends. Thora slammed against the invisible wall, her sabertooth claws extended, but the barrier held firm. Rust and Artair immediately tried different approaches—magical dissolution for Rust, brute strength for Artair—with equally unsuccessful results.

“Your friends can’t help you now,” Elias said calmly. “And in precisely twenty-seven minutes, the eclipse will reach totality. Perfect timing.”

Trapped within the innermost magical barrier with Bartek, Artemis frantically assessed their options. Whatever Elias had planned, they still had each other—and that connection had already proven more powerful than anyone expected.

Then she spotted something on a pedestal near Elias—her family’s stolen recipe book, its pages open to diagrams she’d never seen before. Additional pages had been inserted, covered with forbidden spells written in a spidery hand that made her feel ill just looking at them.

“You altered my family’s book,” she accused, understanding dawning. “Added soul-severing spells of your own creation.”

“Merely completing what your ancestors began,” Elias replied with a dismissive wave. “They studied soul-tethers extensively, including how to break them when politically inconvenient. I simply refined their research to allow the harvesting of the released energy.”

He approached the barrier separating them, studying their golden connection with scientific detachment. “Fascinating. Your bond has developed exceptional resilience. Breaking it will produce even more power than I calculated.”

Bartek moved protectively closer to Artemis, his eyes now glowing tiger-amber. “You won’t touch her,” he growled, his voice deepening.

“I don’t need to touch her,” Elias responded calmly. “The extraction apparatus works remotely.” He gestured toward the cages in the shadows. “But I do need uninterrupted concentration for the ritual. Which brings me to my proposition.”

SEVENTY-SIX

With another snap of his fingers, the magical barriers around the cages dropped, revealing the captives clearly for the first time. Artemis gasped as she recognized several faces from town—including a gaunt vampire who bore a striking resemblance to Alaric.

“Viridian,” she whispered, realizing this must be his missing cousin.

“Along with several other magical specimens I’ve been studying,” Elias confirmed. “Their contributions to my research have been invaluable, though I’m afraid the extraction process has left them somewhat... diminished.”

The captives’ conditions varied, but all shared the same depleted magical aura—their natural supernatural energy drained to dangerous levels. Some appeared barely conscious, while others watched with desperate hope at the sight of potential rescuers.

“Here is my offer, cousin,” Elias continued, his tone businesslike. “Surrender your magical connection willingly, and I’ll release all of these captives unharmed. Their remaining magic will recover, eventually.”

He gestured toward Bartek. “Even your tiger would survive, though he would no longer remember your connection. A small price to pay for saving so many lives, wouldn’t you agree?”

“And if we refuse?” Bartek demanded, though his clenched fists suggested he already anticipated the answer.

Elias’s glamour shifted again, revealing a cruel smile beneath the constantly changing features. “Then I’ll drain them completely—one by one—before your eyes, using their final energy to power a forced extraction that will likely kill you both anyway.”

He spread his hands in a gesture of mock reasonableness. “So you see, the choice is quite simple. Sacrifice your bond to save others, or watch them die before joining them yourselves.”

From beyond the barriers, Artemis could see Rust and the others frantically working to break through, their efforts growing more desperate as Elias’s ultimatum hung in the air. Kalyna had produced some kind of magical device and was scanning the barrier for weaknesses, while Thora and Artair coordinated physical attacks against specific points.

But the eclipse’s approach was palpable—a growing heaviness in the air as astronomical forces aligned. They were running out of time.

Artemis looked into Bartek’s eyes. In that moment of connection, a wordless understanding passed between them—the beginning of a plan.

Elias watched them with calculated interest. “The eclipse reaches totality in exactly twenty-two minutes. I’ll need your answer before then.”

Artemis took a deep breath, forcing her voice to remain steady as she replied, “We need to discuss this privately.”

“By all means,” Elias agreed with mocking generosity. “Though I should warn you—any attempt to use your bond for offensive magic will trigger automatic defensive measures around the captives.”

To demonstrate, he touched a control panel near the pedestal, causing magical restraints around one prisoner to tighten visibly. The captive—a young witch Artemis recognized from town—whimpered in pain before the pressure released.

“Just a small demonstration,” Elias explained pleasantly. “The full security response would be considerably more... final.”

Artemis turned away from him, facing Bartek directly.

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